Chapter 2: Themyscira, the Paradise for Women
"Walk faster." The stern voice of his caretaker stopped his train of thoughts. Where was he anyway? He looked up from the dirt road and gazed the back of the warrior woman who was leading him to his 'school'. It was a bit early but he did not feel the usual lethargy that came to him on Krypton. He felt massively energized and awake. A resounding 'ruff' that came from behind let him know he wasn't the only one highly energetic.
"Walking faster." He replied politely but to Philippus it sounded robotic and lifeless. He still had time left before perfecting his language and learning to apply some form of emotion in the words spoken, till then, they would just have to deal with this.
Soon they reached the market place. Only a few were there compared to the larger numbers in the later hours. "Good morning Philippus! Hello Skyboy." A tall brunette woman carrying a batch of long yellow fruits he had never seen before greeted them as they passed by.
Philippus gave a nod. "Morning Apollonia." It was short and precise, nothing like the long way the fruit vendor greeted them.
"Good morning, Apollonia." Once again he spoke in his robotic voice, even adding a smile to be more comfortable looking. Although it didn't have the intended effect, the woman let out a humoured chuckle and ruffled his hair.
"We don't have all day boy." Philippus growled.
"Tell me. Philippus. Why are you. Unpleasant. Morning?" Kal-El asked curiously.
The woman halted, her body tense as she slightly swallowed. All of this was keenly observed by the boy. Then she became calm and turned around with a grin. "It seems you are going to learn your first lesson."
For some reason, he knew the upcoming lesson would be tedious or in some sense bothersome. He wasn't wrong. It was a language class. The mechanical and sterile part of his mind outright rejected the idea of sitting in a cramped up room with no chairs or seating space other than the stone floor. There were perhaps thirty others, all of whom were girls of much younger age attending their first lesson. And most of them were looking at him bluntly or giving sneak peaks.
The letters and words that were being written was nonetheless fascinating. But what was even more interesting and refreshing was the teaching style. As opposed to his teachers in Krypton who stuck with facts and taught sentences that only contained the material facts, this one taught with colour. He didn't know if it was the way she added her emotions into those words or the small stories to give better understanding.
'It isn't as bad as she made me feel.' Kal thought with an even face.
"Psst..." He turned to look at the girl next to him discreetly. "Is it true you fell from the sky?"
"Complicated. Yes." His answer might have satisfied the older Amazons but not the kids.
"What does that mean?" Another asked.
"Means I landed ship here." He spoke quietly but it wouldn't matter anyway as most of the girls had their attention shifted to the words falling from his mouth. There were murmurs floating around the class. Luckily, a stern warning from the teacher was all it took to silence the class. After that, the class continued with no further pauses, something he was very thankful to. The words and letters were fairly easy and his mind already absorbed everything taught that day which was very little in his opinion.
Kal-El was received by Philippus who had a straight face and a bow slung over her shoulder with some arrows. Nonetheless he gave a nod. "Hello Philippus. Sorry for being late." He spoke in carefully worded sentence. There was a ruff from the white canine as it looked up at the woman.
"Let's go." She gave a grunt and they were on the move to their next destination. "Listen Kal-El, we Amazons are self-sufficient people. We work hard, we get our own food and other things." She spoke seriously as they moved towards the forest. "Our primary source of food comes from the crops we grow, the forest and the fish we catch." She said. "Today I will show you how to hunt." She took the bow and walked into the forest path.
"Understood." He replied with a little bit of excitement in his voice, making it almost sound normal. They trekked into the deeper parts, both expertly placing their feet inorder to avoid making any noise that will give away their presence. Philippus wanted to make the dog stay outside but upon seeing the beast move silently and vigilantly let the Amazon know he was trained in hunting.
"We hunt the spotted deers, they come for water in the afternoon near the lake ahead." Kal gave affirmative nod and notched an arrow but Philippus' hand caught the arrow head. "Do not kill the female or the calf."
"Understood." They waited. There was a moment of silence before Kal-El spoke again. "How to differentiate between male and female?"
Philippus let out a frustrated sigh. "Keep your weapon down. You just observe what I do." With a quick nod of affirmation, the boy stayed motionless like a rock but his eyes and mind followed the huntress' every action. From her crouched stance with the arrow notched on the bow to the direction to which her sight was directed.
Time moved.
He was amazed. The woman have yet to move and if it weren't for his heightened senses, he could have mistaken her to be dead. The minute rustle of the forest leaves drew his attention to the clearing where a small group of deers came to drink from the thin stream of water. He observed quietly as the woman held her fire and waited. The deer, unaware of the danger lurking in the corner slowly settled into their comfort and at that precise moment, with their guard down, an arrow penetrated the vital part of the stag.
The rest fled as Philippus rushed forward while slinging the bow back and Kal-El in tow reached next to the fallen beast. The boy watched as she took out her dagger and ended the animal's misery by a stab in the heart.
"Quickly boy, I'll only say this once." Philippus barked. "The males have antlers," She tapped on the said pair with her dagger. "They will be bigger in most cases." She took the rope from her hip and tied the animal's feet. "You must act quickly once the kill has been made." She pulled it over her shoulder and began to walk. "Don't let the blood clot and remove the skin..."
They reached the market where many acknowledged Philippus with a bow and some with a wave. The carcass was placed on a table inside a tent where Kal-El was given a quick lesson of skinning and gutting Earth animals.
"Captain Philippus! The training grounds are ready!" A woman in armour marched in to report.
Philippus gave a nod of acknowledgement and turned to the Kal-El. "Boy, we take what we need for dinner and we trade the rest. But first, you dispose this." With a smirk she pointed at the gut and other inedible portions of the beast.
The Kryptonian looked at it with an uncomfortable face. It wasn't the first time he was seeing or smelling such a thing, but now he had a million times stronger nose and it was killing him from inside out. But still he did as told and grabbed them up with his bare hands and threw them in with the rest of the garbage in a pit outside which will be burned in the evening.
"Wash your hands and we leave for your combat class." The boy nodded and left the tent through the back entrance where water was kept on a barrel on the side. Philippus turned to look at the furry beast on her side that kept extremely quiet all this time, something that was only achieved by the top hunter's dogs. A small smirk formed on her lips as she found the dog's attention to be on the meat that was cut down. She picked up a piece of bone with some meat and tossed it down. "You have done well today dog."
"Ruff!" With a wagging tail and no self-esteem Krypto dug into the treat. It didn't take long at all as within two bites, everything was over. Their attention turned to Kal-El who entered the tent once again. "Clean hands." He reported. With a nod, Philippus exit the tent followed by the Kryptonian and his dog.
On the way to the training grounds, Kal-El noticed a few things. The sun was getting low and a warm golden colour was being radiated and he already had a feeling of dullness, although his senses were still at peek. 'Interesting...my senses...they are heightened and are at their peek in the afternoon and slows a little at Sun down...'
"Kal-El, choose your weapon." The Captain's voice brought him back to the training grounds. On a table was a few training weapons. Wooden swords, daggers and a few other weapons. Instinctively, he went for the weapon he was well used to; a wooden staff. Philippus raised her eyebrow in interest. "I see, you have chosen something simple so that would mean you have had prior training in combat."
"Mother. General in Military Guild of Krypton." There was a little pride that the boy tried to hide as he spoke.
"Hmm. So this was her weapon of choice?" There was a shake of head negatively.
"Excercise. Used rifles." He supplied.
"A what?" There was confusion in her voice before she cleared her throat. "Whatever may it be, we will discuss it later. Now let us begin your training." There was a small smirk as she took another staff and spun it a few times. "Begin!"
Queen's Palace, Themyscira...
"Where is Antiope?" Hippolyta asked as she slipped on some cool tea.
"My Queen, she has left on an expedition in the North. There seem to be some demonic creatures attacking the man-villages there." Her advisor spoke.
"Hm. I don't have anything planned for the evening, do I?" She asked almost hopefully which made the advisor confused. Her Queen was not one to escape her duties or to be lazy. But now she almost seem to want to not do her work...for something...or someone?
"Well *clears her throat* you have to approve the plans for the sewers and a meeting with our Eastern sisters." She could see the hint of disappointment that fell over the Queen but chose not to speak on it. "But your night is free your highness." That lifted her spirits.
"Good. Let us invite Kal-El to dinner." The advisor gave a nod. She knew this was why the Queen wanted to know if her schedule was free. "Where is he now anyway?"
"He's at the training grounds with Captain Philippus, my Queen." She spoke as the Queen got up and walked towards the large window facing the sea. "My Queen, permission to speak freely."
"Go ahead Lyana. I am sure I have an idea on what's on your mind." Hippolyta didn't turn to face her as she spoke.
"Then why your highness? He maybe a boy now, but soon he'll turn out to be just like the savages that brought down my village and took my family." She asked, almost like a pot letting off the steam.
Hippolyta did not immediately speak. She waited, observing the late afternoon sun that would set in a few hours. "I do not blame you for your reservations. Given the circumstances, any would be acting like you." She turned around. "Tell me Lyana, what is our mission? The Amazon's mission to the world?"
"Peace." The advisor replied.
"Yes, a world where none has to fear the wicked and be unequal. A paradise for all with no greed and hate." She said as she placed a hand on Lyana's shoulder. "For the men to respect women, what better way is there to than teaching the men of tomorrow in being good?"
The advisor wasn't fully convinced and the Queen knew. "Your highness, I shall take your word for it."
Hippolyta gave a defeated sigh and nodded. "Fine, we shall do away with my duties for the evening then?"
Training Arena...
"Uff!" With an embarrassing this, the young Kryptonian fell on his bottom. He was partially sweaty and annoyed and just as he was about to get up, his staff, which was dislodged earlier from his possession came spiralling to a halt as it stabbed the ground next to him and gave a vibration.
"Impressive boy, you are not a common brute when it comes to fighting, I'll tell you that." Philippus praised the boy as she came to stand in front of him with her staff in hand. "You employed technique and thought in battle but you lack a warrior spirit." She deduced as she spun her weapon freely. "From my observation, it is clear that you are always calculating an outcome which is very convenient while fighting a familiar opponent but risky in other cases. There is much for you to learn even though you are not interested in fighting. The gathered audience who heard the Captain's word's were quite surprised. A man with no interest in fighting and dominating, was that even a man?
Kal-El watched the ebony woman walk towards him and hold out a hand with a smirk. He grabbed on it after a moment of thought and was swiftly pulled up. "Thank you." He spoke politely.
"You have fared well today Kal-El. Come, we must clean ourselves." As Kal-El followed the Captain, he understood one thing. The women here can be won over by the sword rather than talk.
"Captain Philippus!" A messenger ran towards them. "The Queen has asked for yours and Kal-El's presence during supper."
The Captain gave a quick nod and the messenger left. She then turned to Kal-El. "You heard her, be in your best form." With that they left for the bathhouse.
Within an hour they were almost in front of the palace stairs. The Kryptonian in his suit and the Amazon in a fresh tunic. The guards came into attention position as they saw the Captain who gave a nod in recognition.
"Kal-El! It is nice of you to arrive on time." Hippolyta cheerfully turned around to greet her young guest. Her smile was broad with her pearly white teeth parting through her naturally red full lips. It would appear the Queen was too eager she waited for them near the entrance itself. The Captain immediately bowed. "Come on Philippus, you don't have to boy in such a wonderful dress."
"As you wish my Queen." She gave a small smile.
"Ruff!" Not one to be denied attention, Krypto barked excitedly wagging his tail.
Hippolyta gave a nod and turned to the giant dog. "And how are you this evening my furry friend?" She patted him on the head before turning to his master. "So Kal-El, how do you like our city?" She asked enthusiastically.
"Beautiful. Efficient. Straightforward." He gave the reply like a report which made the Queen chuckle.
"Your language is improving. You are adapting very impressively to a native tongue of a foreign world." She commented before turning to Philippus. "What about you Philippus? How does Kal-El fare in your eyes."
Even the said boy looked at the woman for her reply. Philippus cleared her throat and spoke. "He has potential. He is no warrior and lacks the spirit of one but is gifted with strength and ample skill which can be developed under a guiding eye." To say the least, both the listeners were surprised. Kal-El felt that she would be disappointed and Hippolyta thought she would still hold her grudge. But before they could converse further, they arrived at the dining hall where a grand meal was waiting for them.
"Sandra." A guard came over from the side upon the Queen calling her name. "I need you to bring a nice juicy piece for my furry friend here."
The food was immediately served and the trio engaged in small talks which lead to the Kryptonian's past. "I have no knowledge on what happened. Planet had catastrophic changes. I was kept in dark. Maybe ship will help me know." His voice faltered and immediately both the women knew their mistake. Although the boy was very reasonable, reserved and mannered. He was still a child who should be with his family and from what he said, it was pretty obvious his world's fate wasn't a good one even without needing to see the evidence.
"We will get you to your ship after dinner. It has been moved to the armory. I am sure you understand the risk of such technology getting misused by men.. people." Hippolyta corrected in the end. Kal-El gave a nod in acceptance. "Tell me about your life in your world Kal-El." She asked curiously.
"I was born House El. Chief House, Science Guild. Father Jor-El, scientist. Mother General Lara-El, head of Eastern Command. Grandfather Lor-Van, Military advisor, mother's father, space explorer." He spoke with pride. "Kryptonian worship Sun, our Sun. Red Sun Rao."
Hippolyta gave a surprised look. "Your mother was a General? That is very impressive. So your culture do not oppress women." Kal-El did not comment on it as he did not have enough statistics to say for sure. "Did she teach you to fight?"
"Mother and grandfather. Yes." He replied, once again with pride in his voice.
The reminder of the meal was done with occasional stories and and incidents that happened through the course of the day. Krypton chose to climb the window sill and stare out into the ocean as he enjoyed the breeze.
"Come, we can know what your ship can tell us." Hippolyta lead the duo downstairs into the secret level where some of the important artefacts were housed. His eyes caught sight of many statues of beautiful women and muscular men that were done with skill which brought them to life in his eyes.
The darker area was lit by torches but his vision seem to have upgraded as he was able to see everything crystal clear. "We have arrived." There in front of him lay his ship, clean externally with no evidence of the crash which didn't dent the ship but covered it in dirt and leaves. Hopefully this will put his mind to rest.
"Kal-El. User Recognised." The system came to life as it glowed a blue light.
"Show me if there are any messages given by my family." He instructed and the ship opened. A small squid like machine floated out. The Queen and Philippus took a cautious step back. The machines eye glowed blue and a light shot out towards the boy.
The Amazon's watched the show in awe as figures appeared in the form of blue ghosts. A man and a woman both in strange clothing that covered them from chin to toe. "Hello my son. We are sorry for this deception but had to be done." Jor-El spoke with a sad smile. "But it was the only way without making our farewell more painful."
Lara spoke next. "Kal, our world is dying or dead by the time you see this message along with everyone else. Krypton's core was already unstable from mining for centuries." A depiction of there planet came. "After space exploration and other space conquests were banned, we had no choice but to mine our core. Your father and I tried to warn the council but we were shamed."
"No...this can't be..." Unable to stand there, Kal-El shot out of the lair in a burst of speed, leaving the sad images of his parents and two confused and disheveled Amazons.
Jor-El spoke again, this time looking at the Amazon's. "It matters not now, because he is allowed to carry on a legacy of his own. He has the chance to rewrite the emotionless and unkind past of Krypton with a new one." Another holographic image came, this time that of the Milky Way. "Your planet is far from any Galactic violence we know of. It's Sun is young and yellow. It will nourish him and give him extraordinary power...I hope you are the kind of people who will guide him in the right direction."
Hippolyta and the Amazon's stated in shock. "How...how do you know our tongue and that too so fluently?"
"Our system scanned your brain and thought, we know about the world as much as you know." Lara supplied.
"How dare you invade our minds-" Philippus began but was silenced by the Queen.
"We will pass it for now Philippus, it was out of necessity and they will be able to help us in a better way." Hippolyta gave a reassuring smile to her Captain and turned to Lara. "Tell me why weren't you able to escape? What is Kal-El's purpose here?"
Lara began seriously. "Our ancestors were space tyrants. They conquered planets and purged them before repopulating them with our own. We were not even born, we were bred by artificial means so that each individual will serve a purpose. Only the great houses were able to produce through natural means even though it was illegal. Kal-El is one of the two Kryptonians who were born naturally in centuries in the history of Krypton..." The couple explained all they could to the Queen.
"I knew there was something special about Kal...we will help him to our maximum in making him a better...no the best of our people." The Queen vowed.
"You have our utmost gratitude." The couple bowed. "Please make our son understand, he is very mature for his age but he is still a child in all sense. He needs a guiding hand... someone to look up to. I hope you will fullfill that role and please bring him back to our ship so that we can advise him on his matters too." The Amazons nodded and turned back leaving the holographic images to revert back to the ship.
XxxxX
I know! Sorry. Life has become too complicated in the past few months...